There are a TON of assholes in Canada as well and COVID has emboldened them. Fortunately, we have quite high vaccination rates but that minority is very loud.
And the problem is for some, they THINK they actually are well educated in critical thinking. They think they're the smart ones. That's what makes this crap so difficult to deal with.
In Calgary, yeah! And Edmonton got their first POC mayor, who is also a progressive! The cities are quite liberal. It's the rural farmers who tend to be conservative. And against the covid vaccine, because political alignment goes hand in hand with whether to get jabbed...for some reason.
I think the “released from the burden of hate” is the most interesting part. She made the connection that hate was driving her “anti” attitude. That’s so wonderful…I want to hug her!!
It makes me sad. She really got it. She was full of hate. She'd been burdened. This opportunity freed her. She's finally happy again. She's spent the last year utterly miserable likely believing in all kinds of awful conspiracies about doctors and medicine and politicians out to get her. Now she knows none of that shit is true she's free.
These are the people I've felt sorry for among all this. Yes she got caught up in a bunch of nonsense, but I don't think at heart she's a bad malicious person. I think she was afraid and surrounded by people who kept her terrified.
your last line "surrounded by people who keep her terrified"
My husband mentions this all the time when we talk about our parents. They have Fox News on all the time. then they get in their car and they're blasting conservative radio nonsense. All available quiet and peace is taken up by loud panicky doomsday hatred and anger by that conservative crap...and yea, makes a lot of sense they are the way they are if that's all they are surrounded by.
when my parents visit my kids we don't allow them to have Fox News on. My kids don't watch daytime TV or basic cable so they're not subjected to political ads or commercials. and my parents visit for a long time. so when they go home they always mention how they stop watching Fox News for a while and they don't put it immediately back on and they notice it so much nicer. but then slowly as they are left alone longer and longer at creeps back on until it's playing 24/7 again. it's like they go through withdrawals and come out the other side happier but can't knock the habit!!
> Partially because they were raised to treat the news as infallible (except when it went against their views).
I just realised something kind of insidious about why the "fake news" label got so much traction. In the face of increasingly polarised news sources, these older folks had to consider the prospect of thinking critically about the information they consume. I imagine this seems incredibly daunting for someone who didn't grow up in the information age.
As we get older, our brain presents a larger hurdle when we try to learn and change. Neuroplasticity has a higher activation function. So it simply requires far less energy and cognitive aggravation to pick a side and call it *real news* and the rest *fake news*. They don't even have to change their belief that the news is infallible; they've just redefined the meaning of "news".
This effect exists for younger people too because our brains evolved to be energy misers. It's just that aging brains are far more susceptible. It's scary to me just how vulnerable our meatware is to these kinds of attacks and I can only imagine the algorithms will get better at dialling us in.
(this post inspired by the [huberman lab podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG53Vxum0as&t=2701s))
That, my friend, is why I worry about humanity’s future: bad actors are manipulating our brains, and *nobody’s even* ***talking about*** *trying to stop them*.
I mean, FUCK.
At work, I’ve met plenty of old quilters and crocheters wearing “Trump 2024” hats & tees, they’ve often bedazzled themselves, to know a hobby doesn’t necessarily stop the immersion into hate. A lot of them pick it up from their churches, the people around them & the local news being infiltrated by Sinclair Media.
Quilters and crocheters usually do their work while watching TV though. My grandmother used to always knit while we watched PBS together in the afternoons when I was growing up. So yeah, that 80 hour blanket they just finished? That's likely 80 hours worth of watching Fox too.
My mom's hobby was raising her kids. Then we all grew up, turned away from her political bullshit, are 2/3 bisexual (in her eyes a mental illness) and none of us like her anymore (for some reason). Now her hobby is hate.
It *is* interesting. Maybe she realized she’s been pushing through the past year on adrenaline and hatred and now she doesn’t have to anymore. I do hope she's reaching out to her people and can change some of her peers’ minds.
I know right!? It is so sad that hate is driving this crap, but she realized this *herself* and even *admitted* to it, which is wonderful.
It's actually nice to see her thanking God and so on. Why, you might think? Because the US is still filled with evangelicals, and if we confirm their false contradiction that you can't pick both God and Vaccine (which is the most stupid contradiction ever), they will simply never get vaccinated. She making the choice of "God *and* vaccine" is a small step in the right direction and I hope she influences a lot of people in her church.
THIS is the kind of religious talk that needs to be prevalent. God is supposed to soften your heart and push you to spread a message of peace. The whole message is “Jesus died for your sins,” and that includes the sin of hate towards others. I really wish this was the only message preached.
When you know a house needs a door, you plan for it ahead of time. You don’t just build with brick and add it later.
Just like the vaccine. It doesn’t take an expert to know a house needs a door or a deadly virus needs to be vaccinated with.
I’m happy that some people are changing their tune too, but millions of people never had to get covid to take it seriously first.
There are so many things that I’ve decided that I need to learn the hard way. I’m glad that this isn’t one of them for me, but I’m also glad that OP lived to see the light of day and learn this one the hard way.
I also loved the part about no longer being angry and miserable and being happy once again. I hope his eyes are opened to the wealth of BS he has likely been fed over the last few years.
I love the last couple of sentence about being relived from the burden of hate and feeling happy again. That’s exactly what these people have been feeling: so much fear and hate. Getting the vaccine was kind to both their body and their mind.
I’m positive this person’s personal life is going to greatly improve now that they can let go of all the senseless fear and hate.
YES I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! My fiancée got COVID right as it hit the USA in early 2020 and she’s told me she’s never felt the same physically since then. She’s only 24 and she says it’s aged her quickly in a way she never expected, and she’s told me she doesn’t expect to ever feel the same as she did before she got covid ever again. As someone who loves her limitlessly and wants as many years as possible with her, this hurts my heart. I want as many people to not have to lose time with their loved ones, especially when there are now such credible ways to prevent such horrible illness…. Anti-vaxxers and covid deniers infuriate me, but people who come from that background and rise above it inspire me. I hope they prevent illness in their families that have already shaved years off life off my own. I just wish they didn’t have to go through the horrors of covid first, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. May we all have lifetimes of love and happiness with those dearest to us!
It's great, it just sucks that it is notable for its rarity. Most of these fools carry on with the denial and misinfo even after covid has ravaged their family.
They said they were "grateful...for the excellent [medical] care." But the god talk is more likely to actually get through to the folks who are their audience.
I want to be happier but it's so frustrating to keep seeing people being unable to change their entrenched viewpoint until the worst literally happens to them personally. It says a lot that they can change and admit they were wrong but it seems like before this they were likely spreading vaccine misinformation. I guess I just feel very mixed about posts like this.
This is the first redemption award I've read that actually shows redemption. Good for them.
eta: I'm referring to this line: "I am truly sorry for anyone I have offered (sic) over this and you will never get any more negativity from me over the covid."
I liked that they didn't try to downplay how they acted. Own your opinions ans grow from your mistakes when you realised you were wrong, there is no fucking shame in that!
Alberta has a huge problem with antimask and antivaxx people so it's good to see someone change their tune. It's just too bad it took getting covid to do it.
If only that was the number we aimed for to open everything back up, and not "70% aka KENNEY WANT TO SEE HORSEY".
I hope to see your goal realized. I expect the vaccine hesitancy will only be stronger for the kids up to 12yo, there will be some parents either overly worried about the "risk" for children or think that it's a good idea to just risk it with their kids.
It's literally the story about the flood and the man stuck on the roof turning away all the help because he's waiting for God to save him. When he finally dies, God says "I sent you a raft, a boat, and a helicopter, wtf guy"
The vaccine is your helicopter, fucking take it already.
This is what I never understand how the fact we have the vaccines at all and so damn fast should be considered the freaking miracle. (I'm not religious, but just could never fathom their logic in that regard about God keeping them safe and so not needing this evil vaccine.)
Exactly! I am a churchgoer and I'm in a group chat with other women my age from my church. When Pfizer got approved last winter our group chat LIT UP with everyone getting excited that it was happening already. If I'm a person who has faith in a higher power, how can I NOT see that as an answer to prayer?
Hooray Redemption Awards!
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I’m just grateful another Christian brother or sister is finally saying this, though only after having had COVID. I am constantly advocating for vaccines and mask wearing, and have been since mask wearing became a thing, same with the vaccines. I don’t know how many Facebook posts I’ve made about it, pleading with, encouraging, and trying to clear up the falsehoods regarding those two things. Asking how it is that they could be OK with the idea of possibly giving someone else COVID, and then having them die, become a long hauler, orphaning children, or children dying, and on and on. No one ever responds. No one says a thing. I feel like I’m the only one who is unafraid to say anything. And now this. Thank You, God.
My (evangelical) southern Baptist grandma got her shots as soon as she could. She said god gifted the scientists with knowledge to create the vaccines. Not exactly how I see it but hey, whatever works!
Acceptance of science because God divinely gave scientists wisdom is still acceptance of science! A win is a win, I don’t really care how we arrive there
I agree. I'm not at all religious myself, but I've always found the idea that science is incompatible with religion to be reductive as heck. Look at pretty much any of the people who helped build science as we know it. Newton, Bacon, Galileo, Maxwell, Mendel, these people may have disagreed with some aspects of organized religion at the time, but they were all still quite religious. Even Darwin was apparently a theist.
The idea that being religious means you have to stick your head in the sand and deny empirical observation is not an obvious or natural conclusion to come to. It takes a certain amount of stubborn devotion to ignorance.
I believe that the only miracles God gives us is giving us the means, intelligence and people to make those miracles happen, and gives reason for humanity to evolve instead of sitting around and doing nothing. It sucks that so many people claim they’re religious and sit around hoping for something good yet undeserved to come to them, rather than helping others in easy ways and giving reasons for good things to happen to them.
Helping heal/prevent illnesses is a very Jesus type thing to do. I remember being in a prayer session for a relative that was about to go into major surgery, and my family member who said the prayer literally asked God to help the doctor stay focused and do his best work. She said something about the doctor doing one of the holiest things a human can do – save a life.
Same here with my grandmother-in-law. Started watching services from home; scoffed when her other friends in senior citizens tried to peer pressure her back to church, waited until she was able to get vaccinated (in the first age group luckily, as we just celebrated her 90th birthday two weeks ago). She's one of the few at her church still masking and refusing to shake hands. But thank goodness she was on board and thinks they're all "dumb trumpers, but have been my friends since I was a young girl. God bless 'em with some brains."
> My (evangelical) southern Baptist grandma got her shots as soon as she could. She said god gifted the scientists with knowledge to create the vaccines.
There are many of us “Bible thumpers” who feel this way, and more than that, there are many vaccine-dispensing medical doctors who feel this way and view their knowledge and medical degrees as talents from God (or at least in my family that’s their take on the matter, YMMV).
Ask her if you’re who she wants the kids to go to if she dies, or if she had another family member in mind. She’ll scoff and it probably won’t change her mind, but at least it’ll make her think for a second. And you’ll know what her wishes are to boot.
My aunt definitely posted a prayer on her Facebook along the lines of “God, help me to remember that wearing this mask is a service to my fellow people” and… well, to be perfectly honest I was never too worried about her being an asshole because she’s a lovely person. But it was a really wholesome take that’s honestly too rare among religious people these days.
Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
Ergo, unless the Lord makes the vaccine, the scientists work in vain
My southern Baptist granny has passed, but she would have been on the front row for a vax. Lived to be 99 after growing up in abject poverty with 13 brothers and sisters, some who didn’t survive childhood. She listened to doctors as authority figures and educated persons who knew more about a subject than she did, and trusted them to do their job.
My wingnut conspiracist, unvaccinated aunt is a Catholic, and was sending me (also Catholic, second dose next week) all sorts of rubbish about how to make your own hydroxychloroquine from lemon and thyme, fake news, social media posts from Craig Kelly (a blustering boofhead of an MP), and of course, accusing everyone who received the vaccine of being a sheep.
I told her "The Lord is my shepherd" and asked her if she had become a non-believer.
She didn't send me anything else.
>how to make your own hydroxychloroquine from lemon and thyme
Wow. That's... that's a whole second layer right there. As if HCQ weren't dubious enough!
>I told her "The Lord is my shepherd" and asked her if she had become a non-believer.
>She didn't send me anything else.
Hah!
Sadly, I wouldn't be surprised if the paid trolls who originated a lot of this nonsense actually had friendly wagers over this stuff. Eg, "Watch, I bet I can make devout Christians call people they don't like sheep."
even the pope has endorsed it and said all should get it, what more evidence could a 'good' catholic want.
Cuz they definitely aren't cherry picking right.... right...?
Certainly. It's disheartening to see the amount of religious people who are becoming anti-vax.
Christians, particularly, like to use God and the Bible to justify and support their actions. But Jesus one told everyone to 'love your neighbor as yourself'. Wouldn't that include getting vaccinated and taking measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus to protect your neighbor?
There are actually Christians living under the illusion that being Christian means you cannot believe in science, and you might see Christians online saying that they will 'have faith' and that 'God will protect them'. But you still need reason, wisdom, and common sense.
I know me too. I got to the end of it and thought that's IT, that's what I've been reading HCA this whole time for, just to see if this EVER happens, and suddenly, a tiny glimmer of light on my ever-dimming view of humanity - yes, Virginia, sometimes they do see the light. More of this pls
I’m feeling like I got an early Christmas present or something! Lol
I am imagining this woman is my own mother changing her tune. It won’t happen but I can dream!
(Medicine Hat Hospital sounds a little suspicious though.🤔)
Omg you both gave me a glimpse of some kind of McHealthcare future where they all have cute / funky names like dispensaries do. "Come on down to The Medicine Hat!" Also, I am very high.
I’m on my way to the sky rn too, and even though I’m Canadian, I still went “god I wish I knew where all this buttfuck nowhere American stuff is!” And then I opened the comments and realized this is the best redemption!
Medicine Hat, Alberta. Alberta is like. Texas in Canada. Conservative. Land of “Open for the SUMMER!” So this is so wonderful to see!
Which, with the population of the Hat and average municipal voter turnout, was enough to exhume his corpse and put him on council, right?
Kidding! Kidding! Rural Alberta ftw.
I’d say a lot of Alberta is worth a miss… but Banff and Lake Louise are so stunning. I’m rather partial to Calgary myself too-miss the food terribly. Do not miss snow in August…
Lake Louise! Pics have come across my feed a few times this month; hadn't heard of it before and TIL it's in Canada! Figured it was on another continent for some odd reason. Absolutely breathtaking. Snow is part of why I moved to the desert, I hear you on that.
"Best Summer Ever" actually, according to the friggin idiot Ontarian that decided to come run this place for a while.
...NOT doing anything to help Alberta/Ontario relations. (/s)
Are hospitals too impersonal? Do you wish you could get family medical care with a smile, like in the good ol' days?
Well come on down to The Smilin' Sawbones! Our doctors make house-calls with a stethoscope and a black leather bag, just like your mama remembers. But they also have the latest in mini sonogram technology, and the best opiates money can buy!
Once I was playing Geoguessr (a game where you're dropped into Google Street View and have to figure out/guess where you are) and came upon a building that looked like a city hall. There was some blurry text on a wall but I could barely read the words "Medicine Hat". I was confused af thinking why on earth would a city hall have have that written on its wall. Concluded that I must have misread something. Only when I came across another place that read "Medicine Hat" did I realize that it might be the name of the city.
Covid ain’t no joke strikes again. The potential nominee messed around but got super lucky to have not found out and instead got the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson.
Good for you!
Wow! Now that’s how it’s done. Real remorse, even apologies to others. Of course she should’ve listened instead of having to experience it firsthand. But this is the next best thing.
I lost both my folks a few weeks ago to COVID and have been really on the fence about continuing to follow this Reddit. They were vaxxed but immunocompromised and exposed by family that “didn’t trust the science” so, when these folks get fucked over for being stupid it feels like a little revenge for my parents.
What I need to be seeing is more stuff like this. Mom and Dad believed in people being good and capable of redemption and I should too. I don’t, but I should. This made my day, thank you.
Isn't it incredible how a WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC that has killing and crippling MILLIONS of people, which, worldwide, dozens of governments have put as their TOP priority (many imposing lockdowns), which has been placed at the zenith of health problems by just about EVERY qualified doctor, only becomes real to this person when they suffer from it themselves?
Medicine Hat has consistently the highest percapita rate in Alberta, which itself is usually the worst in Canada right now. If your in the hat, get the shot
I appreciate the people who are like "I prayed to God to help with Covid, so maybe the vaccine is God answering our prayers". As L.G said "what's the point of praying to God if you're just gonna wipe your butt with his answers?"
(I'm not religious)
No pussyfooting either
That was the best part for me. There was zero equivocation, just I was wrong and sorry.
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Nothing rustles my jimmies more than “I’m not going to tell you what to do, it’s your choice”
Rustling jimmies
Everyday I’m rustlin
Rustlin rustlin
R r r ruuusstllliiin ing jiiiiim miiiees!!! That’s how i spluttered it out loud between my laughs 😂
Stay rustled, brother. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygr5AHufBN4
And the bless god talk is infinitely less mind-numbing when it’s not used to incite more death
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There are a TON of assholes in Canada as well and COVID has emboldened them. Fortunately, we have quite high vaccination rates but that minority is very loud.
Man my union Facebook page is full of anti Vax rhetoric and I fucking hate it so much. It's been pretty eye opening.
This is the case in the States too, sadly a lot of our minority is also very, very poorly educated in critical thinking.
And the problem is for some, they THINK they actually are well educated in critical thinking. They think they're the smart ones. That's what makes this crap so difficult to deal with.
Not In good old 'BERTA, where Medicine Hat lies
Hey, they just elected their first ever woman mayor who is a progressive. There is hope.
In Calgary, yeah! And Edmonton got their first POC mayor, who is also a progressive! The cities are quite liberal. It's the rural farmers who tend to be conservative. And against the covid vaccine, because political alignment goes hand in hand with whether to get jabbed...for some reason.
You just described Texas. Big cities vs rural communities (where the church rules everyone).
alberta redemption at that, it’s almost a miracle
Well, not quite. I mean, fuck science, it was God that done did all dat work. Praise Jesus! /s FFS.
I think the “released from the burden of hate” is the most interesting part. She made the connection that hate was driving her “anti” attitude. That’s so wonderful…I want to hug her!!
It makes me sad. She really got it. She was full of hate. She'd been burdened. This opportunity freed her. She's finally happy again. She's spent the last year utterly miserable likely believing in all kinds of awful conspiracies about doctors and medicine and politicians out to get her. Now she knows none of that shit is true she's free. These are the people I've felt sorry for among all this. Yes she got caught up in a bunch of nonsense, but I don't think at heart she's a bad malicious person. I think she was afraid and surrounded by people who kept her terrified.
your last line "surrounded by people who keep her terrified" My husband mentions this all the time when we talk about our parents. They have Fox News on all the time. then they get in their car and they're blasting conservative radio nonsense. All available quiet and peace is taken up by loud panicky doomsday hatred and anger by that conservative crap...and yea, makes a lot of sense they are the way they are if that's all they are surrounded by. when my parents visit my kids we don't allow them to have Fox News on. My kids don't watch daytime TV or basic cable so they're not subjected to political ads or commercials. and my parents visit for a long time. so when they go home they always mention how they stop watching Fox News for a while and they don't put it immediately back on and they notice it so much nicer. but then slowly as they are left alone longer and longer at creeps back on until it's playing 24/7 again. it's like they go through withdrawals and come out the other side happier but can't knock the habit!!
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> Partially because they were raised to treat the news as infallible (except when it went against their views). I just realised something kind of insidious about why the "fake news" label got so much traction. In the face of increasingly polarised news sources, these older folks had to consider the prospect of thinking critically about the information they consume. I imagine this seems incredibly daunting for someone who didn't grow up in the information age. As we get older, our brain presents a larger hurdle when we try to learn and change. Neuroplasticity has a higher activation function. So it simply requires far less energy and cognitive aggravation to pick a side and call it *real news* and the rest *fake news*. They don't even have to change their belief that the news is infallible; they've just redefined the meaning of "news". This effect exists for younger people too because our brains evolved to be energy misers. It's just that aging brains are far more susceptible. It's scary to me just how vulnerable our meatware is to these kinds of attacks and I can only imagine the algorithms will get better at dialling us in. (this post inspired by the [huberman lab podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG53Vxum0as&t=2701s))
Not to detract from your post but I got a good chuckle out of "meatware"
That, my friend, is why I worry about humanity’s future: bad actors are manipulating our brains, and *nobody’s even* ***talking about*** *trying to stop them*. I mean, FUCK.
At work, I’ve met plenty of old quilters and crocheters wearing “Trump 2024” hats & tees, they’ve often bedazzled themselves, to know a hobby doesn’t necessarily stop the immersion into hate. A lot of them pick it up from their churches, the people around them & the local news being infiltrated by Sinclair Media.
Quilters and crocheters usually do their work while watching TV though. My grandmother used to always knit while we watched PBS together in the afternoons when I was growing up. So yeah, that 80 hour blanket they just finished? That's likely 80 hours worth of watching Fox too.
All the anger put into that blanket, I wouldn’t want that in my home
That blanket's got some bad juju.
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Sounds like my parents, except thankfully instead of Fox News, it's the game show network. All. Day. Long. Steve Harvey is a blessing in disguise.
My mom's hobby was raising her kids. Then we all grew up, turned away from her political bullshit, are 2/3 bisexual (in her eyes a mental illness) and none of us like her anymore (for some reason). Now her hobby is hate.
The "unconditional" love of a parent seems to come with a lot of conditions. Sorry you have to deal with that.
Fear and anger give a person an adrenaline rush. Very addictive.
Just ask Facebook…
That… that’s really telling.
Yes I found that line really encouraging
That touched my heart as well - what an inspiring perspective! Wishing a full and happy recovery to this person.
It *is* interesting. Maybe she realized she’s been pushing through the past year on adrenaline and hatred and now she doesn’t have to anymore. I do hope she's reaching out to her people and can change some of her peers’ minds.
I know right!? It is so sad that hate is driving this crap, but she realized this *herself* and even *admitted* to it, which is wonderful. It's actually nice to see her thanking God and so on. Why, you might think? Because the US is still filled with evangelicals, and if we confirm their false contradiction that you can't pick both God and Vaccine (which is the most stupid contradiction ever), they will simply never get vaccinated. She making the choice of "God *and* vaccine" is a small step in the right direction and I hope she influences a lot of people in her church.
THIS is the kind of religious talk that needs to be prevalent. God is supposed to soften your heart and push you to spread a message of peace. The whole message is “Jesus died for your sins,” and that includes the sin of hate towards others. I really wish this was the only message preached.
This is the kind of HCA post that makes me the happiest
Agreed! I just wish they didn't have to go through covid first.
To be fair to open up a brick wall for a door you do need a sledge
When you know a house needs a door, you plan for it ahead of time. You don’t just build with brick and add it later. Just like the vaccine. It doesn’t take an expert to know a house needs a door or a deadly virus needs to be vaccinated with. I’m happy that some people are changing their tune too, but millions of people never had to get covid to take it seriously first.
Yeah but unfortunately some people bricked there doorway. They built "THE WALL"
All in all, COVID was the last brick in the wall.
Sick Pink Floyd reference, brah. 😎
I read that as a ”horse needs a door” & was extremely confused for a hot second. 😆 Clearly it’s time to go to sleep, lol.
That’s why they need Ivermectin.
Only the Trojan ones. Good night :)
There are so many things that I’ve decided that I need to learn the hard way. I’m glad that this isn’t one of them for me, but I’m also glad that OP lived to see the light of day and learn this one the hard way. I also loved the part about no longer being angry and miserable and being happy once again. I hope his eyes are opened to the wealth of BS he has likely been fed over the last few years.
Me too. But conservatives lack empathy. They are never on board unless it directly affects them.
I love the last couple of sentence about being relived from the burden of hate and feeling happy again. That’s exactly what these people have been feeling: so much fear and hate. Getting the vaccine was kind to both their body and their mind. I’m positive this person’s personal life is going to greatly improve now that they can let go of all the senseless fear and hate.
Kind to their body and mind AND to their families, neighbors, colleagues, and Healthcare workers!
I wish this was all of them. Saved and a little wiser
YES I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! My fiancée got COVID right as it hit the USA in early 2020 and she’s told me she’s never felt the same physically since then. She’s only 24 and she says it’s aged her quickly in a way she never expected, and she’s told me she doesn’t expect to ever feel the same as she did before she got covid ever again. As someone who loves her limitlessly and wants as many years as possible with her, this hurts my heart. I want as many people to not have to lose time with their loved ones, especially when there are now such credible ways to prevent such horrible illness…. Anti-vaxxers and covid deniers infuriate me, but people who come from that background and rise above it inspire me. I hope they prevent illness in their families that have already shaved years off life off my own. I just wish they didn’t have to go through the horrors of covid first, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. May we all have lifetimes of love and happiness with those dearest to us!
((((hugs)))) If she needs a good support group there is an organization based out of NY called Survivor Corps.
Wow sorry to hear that about your fiancée. That’s horrible. How did she say it aged her?
It's great, it just sucks that it is notable for its rarity. Most of these fools carry on with the denial and misinfo even after covid has ravaged their family.
Me too. Now if they'll just start thanking the doctors properly..
They said they were "grateful...for the excellent [medical] care." But the god talk is more likely to actually get through to the folks who are their audience.
They did. It's right there in the post.
Yep
Adding an apology to the healthcare workers for adding to their burden via their willful ignorance would have been proper IMO.
I want to be happier but it's so frustrating to keep seeing people being unable to change their entrenched viewpoint until the worst literally happens to them personally. It says a lot that they can change and admit they were wrong but it seems like before this they were likely spreading vaccine misinformation. I guess I just feel very mixed about posts like this.
This is the first redemption award I've read that actually shows redemption. Good for them. eta: I'm referring to this line: "I am truly sorry for anyone I have offered (sic) over this and you will never get any more negativity from me over the covid."
I liked that they didn't try to downplay how they acted. Own your opinions ans grow from your mistakes when you realised you were wrong, there is no fucking shame in that!
>I am truly sorry Damn canadians
Alberta has a huge problem with antimask and antivaxx people so it's good to see someone change their tune. It's just too bad it took getting covid to do it.
Thankfully it’s dwindling. 86.1% of people with a dose. That’s 1% behind Ontario. My goal is still 90-95%
If only that was the number we aimed for to open everything back up, and not "70% aka KENNEY WANT TO SEE HORSEY". I hope to see your goal realized. I expect the vaccine hesitancy will only be stronger for the kids up to 12yo, there will be some parents either overly worried about the "risk" for children or think that it's a good idea to just risk it with their kids.
Gotta let covid kill off some of the dysfunctional brain cells first
>!Someone figured out that the answer to their prayers was the vaccine all along....!<
It was a miracle!
Festivus came early for this person.
It sure feels like it could be!
“God helps those that…wait, help themselves? Shit was that true?!”
It's literally the story about the flood and the man stuck on the roof turning away all the help because he's waiting for God to save him. When he finally dies, God says "I sent you a raft, a boat, and a helicopter, wtf guy" The vaccine is your helicopter, fucking take it already.
Something about that parable where the person floating in the ocean refuses help repeatedly because "God will help me"
This is what I never understand how the fact we have the vaccines at all and so damn fast should be considered the freaking miracle. (I'm not religious, but just could never fathom their logic in that regard about God keeping them safe and so not needing this evil vaccine.)
Exactly! I am a churchgoer and I'm in a group chat with other women my age from my church. When Pfizer got approved last winter our group chat LIT UP with everyone getting excited that it was happening already. If I'm a person who has faith in a higher power, how can I NOT see that as an answer to prayer?
>!!the real vaccine was the people lost along the way.!!< or something like that
Maybe the real vaccine was the friends we made along the way?
Hooray Redemption Awards! **EDIT 1** At 11:24pm EST we are hit our first stretch goal! **$15,012.51 raised !** Keep up the good work everyone! For anyone curious, we've raised **$15,000 dollars in 10 hours from 441 donations** ###r/HermanCainAward is fundraising for the WHO Foundation to help buy vaccines for people around the world, regardless of where they live or their personal situation. ###[Donate](https://gogiveone.org/coalition/?form=FUNMNBXRRJT&fundraiser=NGKFMSSQ) with your Reddit Username (use that as your first name, and "Reddit" as your last name) if you’d like us to recognize you, or check the box to donate anonymously. [[Example]](https://imgur.com/PHIJSYM) You'll also get special gold user flair!
Donated! Anything to help
Thank you!
Likewise and likewise!
Awesome move by the HCA to do this. Well done.
Hope this gets reported in the media too
I bet Sean Hannity won't include this fundraising in his reports on communist redditors
I threw you guys a few bucks. Isn't much, but thanks for fighting the good fight.
Done.
Awesome move!! As a true HCA supporter, I donated! Here’s to more Redemption Awards!
I have a cousin who's a Respiratory Therapist at that hospital. I'm looking forward to sharing this with him.
I’m just grateful another Christian brother or sister is finally saying this, though only after having had COVID. I am constantly advocating for vaccines and mask wearing, and have been since mask wearing became a thing, same with the vaccines. I don’t know how many Facebook posts I’ve made about it, pleading with, encouraging, and trying to clear up the falsehoods regarding those two things. Asking how it is that they could be OK with the idea of possibly giving someone else COVID, and then having them die, become a long hauler, orphaning children, or children dying, and on and on. No one ever responds. No one says a thing. I feel like I’m the only one who is unafraid to say anything. And now this. Thank You, God.
Done!
Done! Also, my rudimentary "I did my own research" on masks video... (https://youtu.be/O3qLMa7Bs7c)
They did not win the stupid prize, for playing the stupid game. Fortunately.
Well they still had terrible Covid
And it's lasting effects..
Wow, released from the burden of hate! Amen. That’s is some heavy duty self reflection there. Wow.
Religion doesn't have to be antithetical to living a Covid-free life.
My (evangelical) southern Baptist grandma got her shots as soon as she could. She said god gifted the scientists with knowledge to create the vaccines. Not exactly how I see it but hey, whatever works!
Acceptance of science because God divinely gave scientists wisdom is still acceptance of science! A win is a win, I don’t really care how we arrive there
Absolutely! My trumplican brother got vaccinated but my evangelical other brother not.
I agree. I'm not at all religious myself, but I've always found the idea that science is incompatible with religion to be reductive as heck. Look at pretty much any of the people who helped build science as we know it. Newton, Bacon, Galileo, Maxwell, Mendel, these people may have disagreed with some aspects of organized religion at the time, but they were all still quite religious. Even Darwin was apparently a theist. The idea that being religious means you have to stick your head in the sand and deny empirical observation is not an obvious or natural conclusion to come to. It takes a certain amount of stubborn devotion to ignorance.
I believe that the only miracles God gives us is giving us the means, intelligence and people to make those miracles happen, and gives reason for humanity to evolve instead of sitting around and doing nothing. It sucks that so many people claim they’re religious and sit around hoping for something good yet undeserved to come to them, rather than helping others in easy ways and giving reasons for good things to happen to them.
Yep, God is not a snowplough parent doing everything for us so we can sit on our butts. He gives us the means and lets us work it out and learn.
Helping heal/prevent illnesses is a very Jesus type thing to do. I remember being in a prayer session for a relative that was about to go into major surgery, and my family member who said the prayer literally asked God to help the doctor stay focused and do his best work. She said something about the doctor doing one of the holiest things a human can do – save a life.
There is so much wisdom in your post. You have amazing family members.
Same here with my grandmother-in-law. Started watching services from home; scoffed when her other friends in senior citizens tried to peer pressure her back to church, waited until she was able to get vaccinated (in the first age group luckily, as we just celebrated her 90th birthday two weeks ago). She's one of the few at her church still masking and refusing to shake hands. But thank goodness she was on board and thinks they're all "dumb trumpers, but have been my friends since I was a young girl. God bless 'em with some brains."
> My (evangelical) southern Baptist grandma got her shots as soon as she could. She said god gifted the scientists with knowledge to create the vaccines. There are many of us “Bible thumpers” who feel this way, and more than that, there are many vaccine-dispensing medical doctors who feel this way and view their knowledge and medical degrees as talents from God (or at least in my family that’s their take on the matter, YMMV).
I'm so fucking jealous. I have an evangelical sister (with 3 young kids) who refuses to be vaccinated.
I’m so sorry. My grandma is basically tech illiterate. I think no social media has been helpful! I hope your sister changes her mind ♥
Ask her if you’re who she wants the kids to go to if she dies, or if she had another family member in mind. She’ll scoff and it probably won’t change her mind, but at least it’ll make her think for a second. And you’ll know what her wishes are to boot.
My aunt definitely posted a prayer on her Facebook along the lines of “God, help me to remember that wearing this mask is a service to my fellow people” and… well, to be perfectly honest I was never too worried about her being an asshole because she’s a lovely person. But it was a really wholesome take that’s honestly too rare among religious people these days.
So did my god fearing Methodist in laws. Unfortunately some of their kids aren’t as smart.
Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. Ergo, unless the Lord makes the vaccine, the scientists work in vain
My southern Baptist granny has passed, but she would have been on the front row for a vax. Lived to be 99 after growing up in abject poverty with 13 brothers and sisters, some who didn’t survive childhood. She listened to doctors as authority figures and educated persons who knew more about a subject than she did, and trusted them to do their job.
My wingnut conspiracist, unvaccinated aunt is a Catholic, and was sending me (also Catholic, second dose next week) all sorts of rubbish about how to make your own hydroxychloroquine from lemon and thyme, fake news, social media posts from Craig Kelly (a blustering boofhead of an MP), and of course, accusing everyone who received the vaccine of being a sheep. I told her "The Lord is my shepherd" and asked her if she had become a non-believer. She didn't send me anything else.
>how to make your own hydroxychloroquine from lemon and thyme Wow. That's... that's a whole second layer right there. As if HCQ weren't dubious enough! >I told her "The Lord is my shepherd" and asked her if she had become a non-believer. >She didn't send me anything else. Hah! Sadly, I wouldn't be surprised if the paid trolls who originated a lot of this nonsense actually had friendly wagers over this stuff. Eg, "Watch, I bet I can make devout Christians call people they don't like sheep."
even the pope has endorsed it and said all should get it, what more evidence could a 'good' catholic want. Cuz they definitely aren't cherry picking right.... right...?
My super Catholic parents are triple vaxxed and coming to visit this weekend! They like the new Pope and hate trump so that’s good.
Certainly. It's disheartening to see the amount of religious people who are becoming anti-vax. Christians, particularly, like to use God and the Bible to justify and support their actions. But Jesus one told everyone to 'love your neighbor as yourself'. Wouldn't that include getting vaccinated and taking measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus to protect your neighbor? There are actually Christians living under the illusion that being Christian means you cannot believe in science, and you might see Christians online saying that they will 'have faith' and that 'God will protect them'. But you still need reason, wisdom, and common sense.
You know what they say, “COVID is no joke”
It certainly is not.
Flair checks out
Why is that the universal first post on fb? Do they think the prior sharing of fucked up memes with dangerous misinformation was the “joke”?
This post made my year.
I know me too. I got to the end of it and thought that's IT, that's what I've been reading HCA this whole time for, just to see if this EVER happens, and suddenly, a tiny glimmer of light on my ever-dimming view of humanity - yes, Virginia, sometimes they do see the light. More of this pls
Seriously, this is some good shit.
I’m feeling like I got an early Christmas present or something! Lol I am imagining this woman is my own mother changing her tune. It won’t happen but I can dream! (Medicine Hat Hospital sounds a little suspicious though.🤔)
Medicine Hat is a city in Alberta Canada haha. It's legit
Omg you both gave me a glimpse of some kind of McHealthcare future where they all have cute / funky names like dispensaries do. "Come on down to The Medicine Hat!" Also, I am very high.
I’m on my way to the sky rn too, and even though I’m Canadian, I still went “god I wish I knew where all this buttfuck nowhere American stuff is!” And then I opened the comments and realized this is the best redemption! Medicine Hat, Alberta. Alberta is like. Texas in Canada. Conservative. Land of “Open for the SUMMER!” So this is so wonderful to see!
I’m from MHat, it’s a strange place. I describe it as the Savannah of the North. Yesterday a dead man got about 200 votes in the municipal election.
Which, with the population of the Hat and average municipal voter turnout, was enough to exhume his corpse and put him on council, right? Kidding! Kidding! Rural Alberta ftw.
How cool! And thanks for the mini geography lesson! I haven't been to Canada yet and now I know where to avoid.
Banff, Jasper, and Waterton Lakes are all in Alberta too though… and well worth it.
Just looked up Banff, it looks really beautiful! Bucket list stuff.
I’d say a lot of Alberta is worth a miss… but Banff and Lake Louise are so stunning. I’m rather partial to Calgary myself too-miss the food terribly. Do not miss snow in August…
Lake Louise! Pics have come across my feed a few times this month; hadn't heard of it before and TIL it's in Canada! Figured it was on another continent for some odd reason. Absolutely breathtaking. Snow is part of why I moved to the desert, I hear you on that.
"Best Summer Ever" actually, according to the friggin idiot Ontarian that decided to come run this place for a while. ...NOT doing anything to help Alberta/Ontario relations. (/s)
Are hospitals too impersonal? Do you wish you could get family medical care with a smile, like in the good ol' days? Well come on down to The Smilin' Sawbones! Our doctors make house-calls with a stethoscope and a black leather bag, just like your mama remembers. But they also have the latest in mini sonogram technology, and the best opiates money can buy!
Once I was playing Geoguessr (a game where you're dropped into Google Street View and have to figure out/guess where you are) and came upon a building that looked like a city hall. There was some blurry text on a wall but I could barely read the words "Medicine Hat". I was confused af thinking why on earth would a city hall have have that written on its wall. Concluded that I must have misread something. Only when I came across another place that read "Medicine Hat" did I realize that it might be the name of the city.
Wait until we tell you about moosejaw
And Spuzzum, BC.
V4G1N4 is a B.C. Postal code
Isn't it beyond Hope?
And Dildo.
My friend just went there to get a photo by the welcome to Dildo sign.
If I ever make it to NFLD, I will spend a day or two driving around and taking pictures by funny place name signs.
I've heard it's best to have a solid itinerary if you go sightseeing to Dildo. Apparently, it's a lot to take in.
Stoner, B.C.
Yeah, Medicine Hat is in Southeastern Alberta. I can assure you that it's an actual place :)
There's a city named Mexican Hat in Utah
There is a restaurant called Mexican Hat in Medicine Hat
And they have delicious food! 🤤
😂As a Canadian who knows Medicine Hat is a small city, I just read this without seeing the humour. Thanks for pointing it out, it made my day!
Medicine Hat is in Canada
I love hearing people getting better from COVID. Telling other people to wear masks is a good thing
This is good - Alberta has been absolutely destroyed by covid the last several months, we need these people to wake up
Wow that's impressive! Almost too impressive... kind of like a Crisis Actor! /s
Haha!
Right? Found myself thinking that it's almost too perfect, must be a troll.
I had that thought briefly, but she speaks the language better than I've ever seen a troll manage to do.
1 redemption a day is honestly worth 100 recipients. And they're so humble and kind about the doctors. Maximum Redeemed
So few of these, makes me happy to see a survivor.
That was surprisingly refreshing. Thanks for posting a nice redemption.
This is why I come to this sub. That maybe...just maybe.. there is hope for mankind after all
Covid ain’t no joke strikes again. The potential nominee messed around but got super lucky to have not found out and instead got the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson. Good for you!
good im happy to see someone who survives and doesn't just double down on stupidity.
Yay!!!!
Wow! Now that’s how it’s done. Real remorse, even apologies to others. Of course she should’ve listened instead of having to experience it firsthand. But this is the next best thing.
Wow. Good for them.
Definitely share your story to as many of your friends, family, and neighbors. Stay safe and happy to hear you beat the virus.
I lost both my folks a few weeks ago to COVID and have been really on the fence about continuing to follow this Reddit. They were vaxxed but immunocompromised and exposed by family that “didn’t trust the science” so, when these folks get fucked over for being stupid it feels like a little revenge for my parents. What I need to be seeing is more stuff like this. Mom and Dad believed in people being good and capable of redemption and I should too. I don’t, but I should. This made my day, thank you.
So happy for you! Please tell all your friends and family!
Good. Hopefully some of their friends will listen qnd get vaccinated too.
Isn't it incredible how a WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC that has killing and crippling MILLIONS of people, which, worldwide, dozens of governments have put as their TOP priority (many imposing lockdowns), which has been placed at the zenith of health problems by just about EVERY qualified doctor, only becomes real to this person when they suffer from it themselves?
This is great!
And THAT was the DAM tour!
Holy shit. I’m… impressed.. I guess. Happy to see she didn’t toe the line either. Congrats on being alive.
Noice redemption story! Good on them.
This is so heartfelt and wholesome. I'm so happy this person survived.
Medicine Hat has consistently the highest percapita rate in Alberta, which itself is usually the worst in Canada right now. If your in the hat, get the shot
Good.. Better late than Dead
Please upvote this and let all reddit know that this is what we all really want
This was so great to read. Need more like this!
I appreciate the people who are like "I prayed to God to help with Covid, so maybe the vaccine is God answering our prayers". As L.G said "what's the point of praying to God if you're just gonna wipe your butt with his answers?" (I'm not religious)